Give the Gift of Adventure
Standing in line is hard. Dealing with large crowds and loud noises is hard. But for people with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), these circumstances can be unbearable. This type of sensory overload is something that the people we support struggle with on a daily basis, often making it difficult to enjoy new places and experiences.
The great news is that it doesn’t have to be so challenging. We have found a solution to help ease the unpredictability and novelty of discovering something for the first time, and you can help foster this discovery.
With Google Expeditions, an immersive education application that allows teachers and learners to explore the world through over 800 virtual-reality (VR) and 100 augmented-reality (AR) tours, the children and adults served at DDI can swim with sharks, visit outer space, tour a museum—just about anything you can think of—without leaving the comfort of familiar spaces.
Using this cutting-edge technology, we can offer the wonders of the world and more in a predictable, relaxed way that combats sensory challenges and eases the burden of unfamiliarity. Experiencing new environments through virtual reality provides the children and adults we support practice opportunities to be more successful in real-life situations.
Several members of our Adult Services Program were captivated during the pilot screening of the virtual reality tours. Watching the smiles and expressions on the faces of individuals in the adult program as they journeyed through the Grand Canyon was heartwarming.
Currently, we have one Google Expedition Kit with ten headsets. This kit is a great start but certainly not enough to meet the need. Your contribution will help the children and adults at DDI reach their destination and enjoy endless adventures.
We believe this technology will offer great possibilities for many of the individuals supported at DDI to experience new places and explorations, adjust to environments that once were overwhelming, and inform developers at Google how this technology can best benefit people with ASD.
Give the gift of adventure today!